Christmas Shopping and Copycat Chicken

Christmas Shopping and Copycat Chicken

*** NOTE: I’m re-posting this because for some reason, my comments box at the bottom of the page seems to have disappeared! My apologies if this re-appears in your email/readers for the second time today.***

How’s that for the most random post title ever? 😉

Did you have a good weekend? It was another busy but fun one over here, and as usual, the days passed way too quickly. Saturday began with a workout, the usual Saturday chores, and a group exercise instructor meeting for work. I couldn’t help but feel a bit distracted in the meeting though, because I had a fun dinner date planned! Last week, there was an amazing Living Social deal – $10 for $20 worth of groceries from Whole Foods. I snapped it up immediately, and because great minds think alike, Ange did as well. After my meeting, we drove to the new Mississauga Whole Foods. I can’t believe it’s taken me four months to finally get there!

Since it’s never a good idea to grocery shop on an empty stomach, we opted to eat dinner first, then peruse the aisles. My plate (or box) consisted of the following:

This Whole Foods had a fairly large salad/hot bar compared to the other locations I’ve visited, but the Oakville location still seems to have the greatest selection. The Mississauga store did seem to be bigger in general though, with a very large produce section . There were several new finds and you’ll be seeing some of them in this week’s Try Something New Tuesday recap!

The grocery shopping wasn’t totally the aimless lets-see-what-I-find kind (I’ve learned this is incredibly dangerous so I always make a list), and there was one absolute must-buy on this trip:

That would be fresh tarragon. You see, last weekend when I was at the Oakville Whole Foods with my bestie Sara, she commented that my next re-created recipe should be the Whole Foods Tarragon Chicken Salad. It’s pretty basic according to the ingredients on the salad bar – just chicken, tarragon, celery, mayonnaise, red onion, salt and pepper. I knew there had to be more than it than this though, so using my highly discerning palate (LOL), I planned to whip up a copycat recipe yesterday when she came over for lunch. I added a few little extras to make it a bit more exciting, and the result was delicious!

Lemon Tarragon Chicken Salad

Ingredients:

2 tsp olive oil

350g raw boneless skinless chicken breast

1 cup diced celery

1/3 cup plain fat-free Greek yogurt

1 tsp dry mustard powder

1/8 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp cider vinegar

1/4 cup chopped red onion

2 tbsp slivered almonds

1 tbsp fresh tarragon, chopped

2 tbsp naturally sweetened or unsweetened dried cranberries

2 tsp tbsp lemon juice

1/4 tsp dried lemon zest

freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Pre-heat oven to 375F. Brush chicken with olive oil, then season chicken with sea salt and black pepper. Place it in the oven, covered with foil, on a baking sheet. Bake for about 20-30 minutes or until no longer pink inside. Set aside to cool.

In a medium bowl combine celery, Greek yogurt, mustard powder, garlic powder, cider vinegar, red onion, almonds, tarragon, cranberries, and lemon juice and zest. Toss to combine. Shred the chicken while it is still warm by pulling it apart with your fingers, then add it to the rest of the ingredients. Again, toss to combine. Season with black pepper to taste.

This could be served on bread as sandwiches, on rice cakes or crackers as a snack, or on top of greens to create entrée salads.

All of that fueling up was highly necessary because we had a mission ahead: Christmas shopping! Both of us are determined to finish our Christmas shopping early this year, so we spent our afternoon at the mall. While I wasn’t able to cross everyone off my list, I’m pleased to report that the mission is about 50% complete!

Alright, let’s get on with the day, shall we? I hope you have a fabulous Monday, and before you go, tell me…

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My name is Angela and I've got a fiery passion for turning fresh, healthy ingredients into delicious mouth-watering meals. I love watermelon, green smoothies, and running around Vancouver, the city I'm proud to call home.